Revised Transcript EJOB 143469

Content type

User Generated

Uploaded By

funzf1981

Pages

Rating

An Overview of the Brain & Behavioural Changes in

Adolescence

Background & Introduction

Adolescence, which is a period of transition from the childhood to adulthood, is a time of

rigorous changes in both the human brain & the human behavior. Adolescents start developing

social & emotional skills in this period, which differentiates them from the children, as children

do not have developed and well-shaped social or emotional skills.

Brain changes are quite prominent during adolescence. These changes in adolescence

occur as a result of sex hormone surges which lead to puberty. These include the surge of

estrogen and progesterone in case of females and testosterone in case of male adolescents. The

sex hormones not only cause the appearance of the secondary sexual characteristics, but also

brain changes. They substantially impact nutrient & sleep requirements in adolescence. Evidence

from neuro-anatomy, neuro-chemistry, neuro-physiology, behavioral sciences and neuro-

pharmacology based research points out the active maturation of the brain in the adolescence,

which includes anatomical as well as physiological changes in its functioning.

Triune Brain Theory

Brain development is described by a number of theories like Triune Brain theory. The

Triune brain theory describes a comparison of the Lizard, mammal and the human brain,

mammal brain and human brain. The lizard brain has a developed brainstem and cerebellum

having the functions of fight or flight, freeze response, basic survival instincts and runs on the

Autopilot mode. The mammal brain is more developed having the limbic system controlling the

emotions, memories and habits and is able to make decisions. The human brain has a developed

neocortex which regulates the language, abstract thought, imagination and consciousness and as

such, it reasons and rationalizes thoughts and events. The brain images show the developmental

forms of brain at birth, at 1-3 years of age and at the mid-20s of age.

Structural Brain Changes in Adolescence

As far as the structural and anatomical changes in the brain are concerned, adolescence is

a sensitive period in the development of brain. Brain changes towards adolescence occur in the

order of extreme proliferation of the Neurons, Expansion of the Synaptic Connections, Extreme

Pruning leading to reduced synaptic connections for increasing efficiency, increased myelination

of Neurons, and finally the overall growth of cognitive abilities.

Functional Brain Changes in Adolescence

The physiological changes in the brain in the adolescence include progressive changes in

the functions of the brain in various domains like cognitive processes influencing the thought and

behavior, the adolescents mental adaptation to novel and complicated tasks and socio-affective

capabilities, and a number of functional mental disorders also initiate in the adolescence. A very

important physiological concept in brain development during adolescence is the brain plasticity,

which is the ability of brain to change throughout the life, by re-organizing itself by formation of

new connections amongst the neurons of the brain.

Brain Changes during Adolesence

End of Preview - Want to read all 5 pages?

Access Now

Unformatted Attachment Preview

An Overview of the Brain & Behavioural Changes in Adolescence Background & Introduction Adolescence, which is a period of transition from the childhood to adulthood, is a time of rigorous changes in both the human brain & the human behavior. Adolescents start developing social & emotional skills in this period, which differentiates them from the children, as children do not have developed and well-shaped social or emotional skills. Brain changes are quite prominent during adolescence. These changes in adolescence occur as a result of sex hormone surges which lead to puberty. These include the surge of estrogen and progesterone in case of females and testosterone in case of male adolescents. The sex hormones not only cause the appearance of the secondary sexual characteristics, but also brain changes. They substantially impact nutrient & sleep requirements in adolescence. Evidence from neuro-anatomy, neuro-chemistry, neuro-physiology, behavioral sciences and neuropharmacology based research points out the active maturation of the brain in the adolescence, which includes anatomical as well as physiological changes in its functioning. Triune Brain Theory Brain development is described by a number of theories like Triune Brain theory. The Triune brain theory describes a comparison of the Lizard, mammal and the human brain, mammal brain and human brain. The lizard brain has a developed brainstem and cerebellum having the functions of fight or flight, freeze response, basic surviv ...
Purchase document to see full attachment